Rebel Infractions
by shinyget
Summary: Set about 15 years in the future, a new system of government has been imposed on the United Federations. Team Dark is now in control, with Shadow at the helm. Can they stand up the rebel forces and keep control? AU, character death.


Chapter 1: Rebel Infractions

Dark amusement was present on the king's face as he listened to his right-hand-woman give him the details of a recent raid on a rebel camp. They were such fools to think they could hide from the watchful eyes of Shadow's monarchy and now they would pay the price for their idiocy. This particular branch was run by one Miles Prower, best friend of the ruler's former rival. A little chat with the fox might prove worthwhile…

"Bring him here." At those words, Rouge smirked and gave him a slight bow, more out of ceremony than actual necessity, before leaving the room to retrieve the prisoner.

Tails looked worse for wear, evidence of having put up a struggle before his capture apparent all over. His hands were handcuffed behind his back, ankles shackled, and his tails tied together to take away all chances of escape. The sigh of Shadow sitting in his throne, slightly entertained by the fox's defeat was enough to enrage Tails. How could the hedgehog look so smug after all he's done!

"It's been a while, Miles."

"You… you… _monster_!" Had the fox been one for cursing, other, more vulgar words might have escaped his lips. This only served to amuse the king further as he stood up and slowly walked towards the younger male.

"Is that any way to speak to an old friend?"

"You're no friend of mine!" Hatred seethed from every part of Tails, it being most apparent in the gaze he had fixed the mocking monarch with. To suggest that the two had a _friendship_, of all things, after the atrocities he had committed…!

"You're as fiery as your old friend." Shadow stopped a few feet away, waiting for the expected rise from the fox. As predicted, Tails stared at the king open-mouthed for a moment, tears welling up in his eyes at the mention of Sonic.

"How dare you mention him! Leave him out of this!"

"You wish to join him, don't you? Perhaps you can, but first… You need to share with your old friends some details of your new ones." As he spoke, he motioned to not only himself, but Rouge and Omega, who were both acting as silent onlookers. They had all worked together once, over a decade ago, surely that must count for something? He knew it wouldn't, no, not after the changes he had forced onto the nation, but it was a humorous suggestion to make given the rebel's previous reaction.

The fox refused to respond to the taunts. He couldn't lose his head, not now. If he did, it could cost more lives than were already lost. One wrong word and all their hard work could be jeopardized. So, he remained silent, eyes fixed to the ground in front of him.

"Are you sure that's how you want to respond, _child_?" The monarch well knew that the fox had been considered an adult years ago in the eyes of the law, but the jab served as a reminder of how Shadow viewed the rebel; defenseless, weak, and in need of someone to protect him.

Again, silence meet the question, but Tails visibly tensed. He was desperately trying to block out Shadow's voice and the memories of his lost friend that were trying to resurface. There was no way he was going to give that monster the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

A frown appeared on the hedgehog's muzzle. He had been hoping the fox would be more responsive. "Hn. Just as stubborn."

With a flick of the king's wrist, Omega grabbed hold of the young fighter's bound hands and took him out of the room as the hedgehog returned to his throne. The robot knew what to do with those that didn't talk, it was standard procedure by now. A few days in a cell without food or water did wonders to loosen even the stiffest tongues. If the silence persisted, well… It wasn't pleasant to think of the fate of those who ventured that route.

Rouge remained behind, and Shadow now noted that she held a few pieces of paper in her hand. "Your majesty…" She said the title with a hint of mirth, "I have a few matters I need to discuss with you."

The Ultimate Lifeform nodded and motioned for the guards present in the room to vacate. Now alone, the mood of the room shifted to one that spoke of the familiarity of the occupants. In private, titles and formalities were not needed between the two friends. After what the duo had been through together, it all seemed extremely pointless. The bat approached the throne with a sway present in her hips, as if moving to some lively, yet graceful music that only she could hear. It pleased him that even after all these years, Rouge hadn't seemed to change one bit. She still held the same fire she had when they had first met and remained loyal and supportive of him, even when he had first concocted the then-crazy idea to take over the United Federation.

Rouge took a seat on the armrest of the golden chair, handing her papers to him. "I caught wind of some rebel activity planned for Westopolis. Looks like Knucklehead is going to try to take out your forces in the area."

He skimmed the words with mild interest, he knew full well she'd tell him anything extremely important and that he'd have plenty of time later to look over the petty little details. "Is that so? We'll have to send out a few extra to greet him, then."

"Mind if I join the welcome wagon? I'm sure Knuckie would love to have me around" Whenever Knuckles was about causing trouble for the new government, Rouge was ready to butt heads with him at a moment's notice.

Shadow smirked at the request, not even her rivalry with that boneheaded echidna had changed. "Do as you wish. Do you know where they're located right now?"

A shift in weight, as she crossed her legs and leaned back against the throne, making herself comfortable. Sounding mildly irritated, she replied, "No, not yet. He's getting better at hiding."

"I would hope he'd learn from past mistakes. It makes things more… _interesting_."

"More interesting, maybe, but it's getting troublesome. We're starting to have to rely on snitches and abandoners more often." She hated having to do that, it was almost like admitting she couldn't figure it out herself. But the resistance was getting more stealthy in recent months, over a year of failures had helped them with that. It wasn't that she doubted their ability to prevail over the rabble, but if they kept improving the way they were, victory might not be as easy to achieve as she had first thought.

King Shadow a different opinion on the matter, however. There was no way the rebel forces could win, not after he had taken care of his number one problem a year ago. Without Sonic around, none of them stood a chance. They might adjust and learn new tricks, but he would achieve the end he had worked so hard for. A world Maria would be proud to look down upon from her place in the heavens…

A small smile crossed his lips as he remembered his angel. Shadow had done all this for her, taken control away from those hateful humans to bring about the peace and happiness she had wanted. It would be some time still before he could become that benevolent ruler the nation so desperately needed, but as soon as those pesky ingrates were out of the way, he would be free to show the humans the proper way to live.

Rouge waited a few moments before interrupting his reverie, "Shadow?" It wasn't unusual for him to get lost in his thoughts and she had grown used to it over the last couple years. There always seemed to be some important matter he had on his mind since he had taken over.

"Hn. Tell Omega to gather his troops and head out."

The bat slide off the armrest and gave him a quick salute as she headed out. "We'll be back before you know it!" 

He knew he could count on them to get the job done. In the meantime, he had other prisoners to interview and take care of. With a snap, the guards reentered the chamber and awaited his orders.


End file.
